Astra Film Festival, the most important documentary film festival in Romania, brings to Chisinau for the first time a selection of the most valuable films of this year’s festival. Astra Film Chisinau’s special program also includes the screening of the event film “Transalpina – The Road of Kings” directed by Dumitru Budral, as well as the “Flore de Maidan” concert by the youth department of the Subcarpathian Cultural Center.

The event also has an educational component: Moldovan teenagers will have the opportunity to watch films directly from Astra Film Junior’s selection and take part in master classes. film literacy The Astra Film Chisinau program, funded by the Department of Relations with the Republic of Moldova of the Government of Romania and the Romanian Cultural Institute, will take place on November 11-13, 2022 at the National Art Museum of Moldova and BP. Hashdeu Municipal Library.

“We are going to Chisinau, with a lot of emotions, for a meeting that we have been waiting for a very long time, with the idea of ​​discovering together the exciting perspectives of the world in which we live. Because the documentary tells about real life and looks at each of us as directly as possible– said Dumitru Boudrala, founding director of Astra Film Festival.

“Astra Film Festival is a Romanian brand, a cultural project that has been validating cinematographic creativity in Romania and abroad for 29 years. That is why it is so important for DRRM to be involved in revealing this Romanian value through the Prut. I hope that this first edition of Astra Film in Chisinau will become a cornerstone of the cinematic tradition within the framework of the excellent relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova“, – says Adrian Dupu, State Secretary of the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova.

“We are delighted to continue the partnership between ICR and Astra Film, paving the way for the Astra Film Festival to open to audiences in Chisinau this year. I congratulate the organizers and urge them to develop local partnerships so that Astra Film Chisinau has continuity“, – said Liviu Đicman, president of the Romanian Institute of Culture.

The main topics of Astra Film Chisinau

Astra Film Chisinau presents a selection of valuable films that will be shown for the first time in the Republic of Moldova. These are films that tell real stories about places and communities and invite viewers to reflect on deep themes: The Roads That Bring Us Together and Destinies and Communities. The screenings will take place in the Great Hall of the Art Museum of the Republic of Moldova.

ROADS THAT BRING US CLOSER. The films, grouped under the theme Roads That Unite Us, show how over time roads have played a crucial role in connecting and developing people and communities.

Friday, November 11 (6:00 p.m.) – Film of events”Transalpina – Road of Kings” (director Dumitru Budrala, Romania – 2016) tells the story of a symbolic road of incredible beauty, which throughout history has united people even in adverse conditions. With a history of thousands of years, the Transalpina is more than just a spectacular road. The stories that hide the rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, valleys and caves go beyond historical facts and data to evoke the very spirit of the place. “The film is fabulous and necessary as a hearth for our bread and our ancestors for their births“, said Ambassador Emil Khurezyanu after watching “Transalpina”. At the end of the screening, the audience will be able to engage in a dialogue with director Dumitru Budrala, the founding director of the Astra Film Festival.

Sunday, November 13 (5:00 p.m.) – “People of the Road: Terra Banatica“, Mircea Gerase (Romania – 2021), tells the story of Via Transilvanica, a road that crosses a diversity of ethnic, cultural, historical or geographical layers, a road about communities, identities and rediscovery. Those who have traveled the Via Transylvania say it is a step-by-step journey steeped in history and initiation, an experience that offers revelation, healing and special landscapes.

Sunday, November 13 (6:30 p.m.)a documentary will be shown, “Waves on the ground» (dir. Raluca David, Romania – 2021), a film about another road: Lucian’s life, which is divided between Ecuador, Portugal and visits to the Republic of Moldova, between his problems and those around him, between phones, roads, family, the city, waves and his the dream is to represent one’s country at the Olympics. The documentary received a special mention at AFF 2022 (Romanian section). After the screening, there will be a dialogue between director Raluka David and the audience.

FATE AND COMMUNITIES. The documentaries included in this theme penetrate into the private life of a person and create bridges of communication and understanding between cultures.

Saturday, November 12 (5:00 p.m.) – “Flying sheep“(Germany, Romania – 2022), Alexandra Gulea’s film, a poetic immersion in the memory of the Aromanians, a special ethnic group wandering through the history of Europe and spread throughout the Balkan Peninsula, received a Special Mention at AFF2022 “for a bold cinematic exploration and a wonderful visual approach, an undeniably interesting piece of work“.

Saturday, November 12 (18:00) – Documentary”Eagles from Șaga” (Romania, Slovakia – 2022) by Adina Popescu and Iulian Manuel Gervas describes a wonderful portrait of a man-institution: the coach of a soccer team from Šaga. Adina Popescu and Iulian Manuel Gervase won the Best Director award at AFF 2022 in the Romania section for this film, which tells about the daily realities of the peasants of the Transylvanian plain with subtle humor.

Saturday, November 12 (19:30) – Filmstrip “cup. About sons and daughters“, directed by Catalina Tesar and Dana Bunescu (Romania – 2022), awarded at the AFF 2022 the prize for the best film of the Romanian section, reveals for the first time in cinema the interesting world of the traditional Roma community in Transylvania, the world of cortorals, which it shows from the inside, exploring ancient customs, in in the center of which is symbolically a golden bowl, which is passed down from generation to generation.

From Astra Film Junior to high school students from Chisinau

For high school students of Chisinau, and not only, the organizers are bringing films that were part of the last edition of Astra Film Junior – the most complex educational program of documentary film in Romania. Screenings will take place in the municipal library named after B. P. Gashdeu, followed by master classes film literacy with support from director Laura Ealy.

Saturday, November 12 (12:00) – Saturday Documentary “Aurora“, by Benjamin Langeland, Stian Servoss (Norway – 2019) asks the viewer several important questions: what would you give up to follow your dream? What is the cost of celebrity? What role does family play in your support? These questions begin with the true story of Aurora, a young girl from Norway who started her creative career at the age of 16 in her hometown, which forced her to drop out of school to be able to go on tour.

November 13, Sunday (12:00) – “iHuman”, directed by Tonje Hessen Schei (Norway – 2019), is a film that explores the mysterious world of artificial intelligence, starting with the statement that artificial intelligence is “either the best or the worst that can happen to humanityThe film shows how researchers and scientists are studying the impact that the rapid and impressive evolution of this technology will have on us in the future, as well as what artificial intelligence really means now.

Media partnership